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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1977

Narrow spikes in the selective precipitation of relativistic electrons in mid-latitudes

Relativistic electron precipitation spikes were observed in the quasi-trapped population at midlatitudes by an array of electron detectors aboard the low-altitude polar-orbiting satellite 1972-076B. The fluxes of electrons of energies not less than 4 MeV may undergo pronounced enhancements, while the intensities of electrons in the few hundred keV range may not be significantly affected. Energy spectra and pitch angle distributions were measured over the energy range 160 keV to 2.4 MeV with a combination of three spectrometers. Fluxes of energetic electrons (greater than 4 MeV) were measured with high sensitivity in each of two large plastic scintillator anticoincidence counters surrounding a germanium spectrometer.

Imhof, W. L.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Minimizing spikes in switching-regulator circuits

Circuit, employing tapped inductor to back-bias rectifying diodes and extra diode to cummutate current, minimizes current spikes that cause premature transistor failure in switching-regulator circuits.

Mclyman, W. T.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Ribbon Reduces Spiking in Electron-Beam Welding

Spiking in electron-beam welding reduced by placing high-vapor-pressure substance along path of electron beam. Strip of metal having vapor pressure higher than base metal at same temperature placed in slot machined along weld line. Strip vaporizes as beam strikes it, and vapor pressure keeps surface tension from closing off top of channel. Technique used successfully on nickel alloys and aluminum alloys and effective on steel and titanium.

Olson, R. E.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Multiple energetic injections in a strong spike-like solar burst

An intense and fast spike-like solar burst was built up of short time scale structures superimposed on an underlying gradual emission, the time evolution of which shows remarkable proportionality between hard X-ray and microwave fluxes. The finer time structure were best defined at mm-microwaves. At the peak of the event, the finer structures repeat every 30x60ms. The more slowly varying component with a time scale of about 1 second was identified in microwave hard X-rays throughout the burst duration. It is suggested that X-ray fluxes might also be proportional to the repetition rate of basic units of energy injection (quasi-quantized). The relevant parameters of one primary energy release site are estimated both in the case where hard X-rays are produced primarily by thick-target bremsstrahlung, and when they are purely thermal. The relation of this figure to global energy considerations is discussed.

Kaufmann, P.↗
NASA NTRS1984

SPIKE-2: a Practical Stirling Engine for Kilowatt Level Solar Power

Recent advances in the art of free piston Stirling engine design make possible the production of 1-10kW free piston Stirling linear alternator engine, hermetically sealed, efficient, durable and simple in construction and operation. Power output is in the form of single or three phase 60 Hz. AC, or DC. The three phase capability is available from single machines without need of external conditioning. Engine voltage control regains set voltage within 5 cycles in response to any load change. The existing SPIKE-2 design has an engine alternator efficiency of 25% at 650 C heater wall temperature and a service life of over three years in solar service. The same system can be scaled over a range of at least 100 watts to 25kW.

Beale, W. T.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Multiple energetic injections in a strong spike-like solar burst

An intense and fast spike-like solar burst was built up of short time scale structures superimposed on an underlying gradual emission, the time evolution of which shows remarkable proportionality between hard X-ray and microwave fluxes. The finer time structures were best defined at mm-microwaves. At the peak of the event, the finer structures repeat every 30 x 60 ms. The more slowly varying component with a time scale of about 1 second was identified in microwave hard X-rays throughout the burst duration. It is suggested that X-ray fluxes might also be proportional to the repetition rate of basic units of energy injection (quasi-quantized). The relevant parameters of one primary energy release site are estimated both in the case where hard X-rays are produced primarily by thick-target bremsstrahlung, and when they are purely thermal. The relation of this figure to global energy considerations is discussed. Previously announced in STAR as N83-35983

Kaufmann, P.↗
NASA NTRS1951

Investigation at Mach Number 1.88 of Half of a Conical-spike Diffuser Mounted as a Side Inlet with Boundary-layer Control / H. Fred Goelzer and Edgar M. Cortright, Jr

Experimental investigation was conducted at Mach number 1.88 to determine performance characteristics of half a 50 degree-conical-spike inlet mounted on a flat plate. Initial boundary layer was removed up-stream of inlet by a ram-type scoop of variable height. Initial boundary-layer thickness was also varied. With complete removal of initial boundary layer, total-pressure recovery of approximately 70 percent. Several alternative boundary-layer-removal systems were investigated which decreased the adverse effect of operating the ram scoop sub-critically.

BOUNDARY LAYER CONTROL-INTERNAL AERODYNAMICS↗
NASA NTRS1953

Force and Pressure Recovery Characteristics at Supersonic Speeds of a Conical Spike Inlet with a Bypass Discharging from the Top or Bottom of the Diffuser in an Axial Direction

Force and pressure-recovery characteristics of a nacelle-type conical-spike inlet with a fixed-area bypass located in the top or bottom of the diffuser are presented for flight Mach numbers of 1.6, 1.8, and 2.0 for angles of attack from 0 degrees to 9 degrees. Top or bottom location of the bypass did not have significant effects on diffuser pressure-recovery, bypass mass-flow ratio, or drag coefficient over the range of angles of attack, flight Mach numbers, and stable engine mass-flow ratios investigated. A larger stable subcritical operating range was obtained with the bypass on the bottom at angles of attack from 3 degrees to 9 degrees at a flight Mach number of 2.0. At a flight Mach number of 2.0, the discharge of 14 percent of the critical mass flow of the inlet by means of a bypass increased the drag only one-fifth of the additive drag that would result for equivalent spillage behind an inlet normal shock without significant reductions in diffuser pressure recovery.

DIFFUSERS, SUBSONIC↗
NASA NTRS1994

Hot gas ingestion effects on fuel control surge recovery and AH-1 rotor drive train torque spikes

This report summarizes the work accomplished through computer simulation to understand the impact of the hydromechanical turbine assembly (TA) fuel control on rocket gas ingestion induced engine surges on the AH-1 (Cobra) helicopter. These surges excite the lightly damped torsional modes of the Cobra rotor drive train and can cause overtorqueing of the tail rotor shaft. The simulation studies show that the hydromechanical TA control has a negligible effect on drive train resonances because its response is sufficiently attenuated at the resonant frequencies. However, a digital electronic control working through the TA control's separate, emergency fuel metering system has been identified as a solution to the overtorqueing problem. State-of-the-art software within the electronic control can provide active damping of the rotor drive train to eliminate excessive torque spikes due to any disturbances including engine surges and aggressive helicopter maneuvers. Modifications to the existing TA hydromechanical control are relatively minor, and existing engine sensors can be utilized by the electronic control. Therefore, it is concluded that the combination of full authority digital electronic control (FADEC) with hydromechanical backup using the existing TA control enhances flight safety, improves helicopter performance, reduces pilot workload, and provides a substantial payback for very little investment.

Tokarski, Frank↗
NASA NTRS2001

Supersonic Wind Tunnel Tests of a Half-axisymmetric 12 Deg-spike Inlet to a Rocket-based Combined-cycle Propulsion System

Results of an isolated inlet test for NASA's GTX air-breathing launch vehicle concept are presented. The GTX is a Vertical Take-off/ Horizontal Landing reusable single-stage-to-orbit system powered by a rocket-based combined-cycle propulsion system. Tests were conducted in the NASA Glenn 1- by 1-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel during two entries in October 1998 and February 1999. Tests were run from Mach 2.8 to 6. Integrated performance parameters and static pressure distributions are reported. The maximum contraction ratios achieved in the tests were lower than predicted by axisymmetric Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes computational fluid dynamics (CFD). At Mach 6, the maximum contraction ratio was roughly one-half of the CFD value of 16. The addition of either boundary-layer trip strips or vortex generators had a negligible effect on the maximum contraction ratio. A shock boundary-layer interaction was also evident on the end-walls that terminate the annular flowpath cross section. Cut-back end-walls, designed to reduce the boundary-layer growth upstream of the shock and minimize the interaction, also had negligible effect on the maximum contraction ratio. Both the excessive turning of low-momentum comer flows and local over-contraction due to asymmetric end-walls were identified as possible reasons for the discrepancy between the CFD predictions and the experiment. It is recommended that the centerbody spike and throat angles be reduced in order to lessen the induced pressure rise. The addition of a step on the cowl surface, and planar end-walls more closely approximating a plane of symmetry are also recommended. Provisions for end-wall boundary-layer bleed should be incorporated.

DeBonis, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Reversing Flows and Heat Spike: Caused by Solar g-Modes?

The Quasi Biennial Oscillation in the Earth s upper atmosphere has an analog deep inside the Sun. As on Earth, the flow is east or west, it is at low latitude, and it reverses direction in a roughly periodic manner. The period in the solar case is 1.3 years. It was detected using solar oscillations similar to the way earthquakes are used to study the Earth's interior. But its cause was not known. We showed that global oscillations (g-modes) can supply enough angular momentum to drive zonal flows with the observed reversal period. This required a calculation of wave dissipation rates inside each flow and in the turbulent layer that separates any two flows of opposite sign. Heat that this process leaves behind causes a thermal spike inside the Sun at the same depth. This may explain an anomaly in observed sound speed that has had no sure explanation.

Mayr, Hans G.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Effect of Random Thermal Spikes on Stirling Convertor Heater Head Reliability

Onboard radioisotope power systems being developed to support future NASA exploration missions require reliable design lifetimes of up to 14 yr and beyond. The structurally critical heater head of the high-efficiency developmental Stirling power convertor has undergone extensive computational analysis of operating temperatures (up to 650 C), stresses, and creep resistance of the thin-walled Inconel 718 bill of material. Additionally, assessment of the effect of uncertainties in the creep behavior of the thin-walled heater head, the variation in the manufactured thickness, variation in control temperature, and variation in pressure on the durability and reliability were performed. However, it is possible for the heater head to experience rare incidences of random temperature spikes (excursions) of short duration. These incidences could occur randomly with random magnitude and duration during the desired mission life. These rare incidences could affect the creep strain rate and therefore the life. The paper accounts for these uncertainties and includes the effect of such rare incidences, random in nature, on the reliability. The sensitivities of variables affecting the reliability are quantified and guidelines developed to improve the reliability are outlined. Furthermore, the quantified reliability is being verified with test data from the accelerated benchmark tests being conducted at the NASA Glenn Research Center.

Shah, Ashwin R.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Effect of Random Thermal Spikes on Stirling Convertor Heater Head Reliability

Onboard radioisotope power systems being developed to support future NASA exploration missions require reliable design lifetimes of up to 14 yr and beyond. The structurally critical heater head of the high-efficiency developmental Stirling power converter has undergone extensive computational analysis of operating temperatures (up to 650 C), stresses, and creep resistance of the thin-walled Inconel 718 bill of material. Additionally assessment of the effect of uncertainties in the creep behavior of the thin-walled heater head, the variation in the manufactured thickness, variation in control temperature, and variation in pressure on the durability and reliability were performed. However, it is possible for the heater head to experience rare incidences of random temperature spikes (excursions) of short duration. These incidences could occur randomly with random magnitude and duration during the desired mission life. These rare incidences could affect the creep strain rate and therefore the life. The paper accounts for these uncertainties and includes the effect of such rare incidences, random in nature, on the reliability. The sensitivities of variables affecting the reliability are quantified and guidelines developed to improve the reliability are outlined. Furthermore, the quantified reliability is being verified with test data from the accelerated benchmark tests being conducted at the NASA Glenn Research Center.

Shah, Ashwin R.↗
NASA NTRS2004

The formation of spikes in the displacement of miscible fluids

We report on experiments in which a more viscous fluid displaces a less viscous one in a vertical cylindrical tube. These experiments were performed using silicone oils in a vertical pipette of small diameter. The more viscous fluid also had a slightly larger density than the less viscous fluid. In the initial configuration, the fluids were at rest, and the interface was nominally flat. A dye was added to the more viscous fluid for ease of observation of the interface between the fluids. The flow was initiated by pumping the more viscous fluid into the less viscous one. The displacement velocity was such that the Reynolds number was smaller than unity and the Peclet number for mass transfer between the fluids was large compared to unity. For upward displacement of the more viscous fluid from an initially stable configuration, an axisymmetric finger was observed under all conditions. However, a needle-shaped spike was seen to propagate from the main finger in many cases, similar to that observed by Petitjeans and Maxworthy for the displacement of a more viscous fluid by a less viscous one.

Rheology/methods↗
NASA NTRS2007

Quiet Spike Build-Up Ground Vibration Testing Approach

NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center uses a modified F-15B (836) aircraft as a testbed for a variety of flight research:experiments mounted underneath the aircraft fuselage. The F-15B was selected to fly Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation's (GAC)QuietSpike(TM)(QS) project; however, this experiment is very unique and unlike any of the previous testbed experiments flown on the F-15B. It involves the addition of a relatively long quiet spike boom attached to the radar bulkhead of the aircraft. This QS experiment is a stepping stone to airframe structural morphing technologies designed to mitigate sonic born strength of business jets over land. The QS boom is a concept in Which an aircraft's front-end would be extended prior to supersonic acceleration. This morphing would effectively lengthen the aircraft, reducing peak sonic boom amplitude, but is also expected to partition the otherwise strong bow shock into a series of reduced-strength, non-coalescing shocklets. Prior to flying the Quietspike(TM) experiment on the F-15B aircraft several ground vibration tests (GVT) were required in order to understand the QS modal characteristics and coupling effects with the F-15B. However, due to the project's late hardware delivery of the QS and the intense schedule, a "traditional" GVT of the mated F-1513 Quietspike(tm) ready-for-flight configuration would not have left sufficient time available for the finite element model update and flutter analyses before flight testing. Therefore, a "nontraditional" ground vibration testing approach was taken. The objective of the QuietSpike (TM) build-up ground testing approach was to ultimately obtain confidence in the F-15B Quietspike(TM) finite element model (FEM) to be used for the flutter analysis. In order to obtain the F15B QS FEM with reliable foundation stiffness between the QS and the F-15B radar bulkhead as well as QS modal characteristics, several different GVT configurations were performed. EAch of the four GVT's performed had a specific objective. The overall intent was to provide adequate data which would replicate a "traditional" F-15B QS GVT with actual ready-for-flight hardware. NASA Dryden was tasked with the conduct of the 1st, 2nd and 4th GVT and the 3rd GVT was GAC's responsibility. In order for this build-up GVT approach to be feasible, it was absolutely critical that each GVT configuration matched as closely as possible the connection interface configuration between the and aircraft bulkhead.

Spivey, Natalie D.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Goulds Belt, Interstellar Clouds, and the Eocene-Oligocene Helium-3 Spike

Drag from hydrogen in the interstellar cloud which formed Gould's Belt may have sent small meteoroids with embedded helium to the Earth, perhaps explaining part or all of the (sup 3) He spike seen in the sedimentary record at the Eocene-Oligocene transition. Assuming the Solar System passed through part of the cloud, meteoroids in the asteroid belt up to centimeter size may have been dragged to the resonances, where their orbital eccentricities were pumped up into Earth-crossing orbits.

Gould's Belt↗